


Fishing In The Rain

by dragonshost



Series: Parental Prequels of Unconventional Beauty [5]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Navia Week 2015, lots of friendships and side pairings, not sure it counts as slow burn, sedate build up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-05 04:51:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11570697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonshost/pseuds/dragonshost
Summary: Natsu takes it upon himself to cheer Juvia up after Gray goes on a long solo job. To mixed results.





	1. Steam

The first time Natsu Dragneel invaded Juvia Lockser's life and living space, was a few days after Gray had been sent away on a long job – one that the Master had kept a grave secret, and had even gone to the lengths of specifically forbidding Juvia to tag along with. Gajeel had been assigned to prevent any sneaky moves of hers to disobey, to the iron dragon slayer's vast amusement.

Depression and worry over her favorite ice mage had set in almost immediately upon Gray's departure, and was only becoming steadily worse. Her heart ached to be with the person who had first shown her the beauty of a cloudless sky… Skies that had vanished with the weight of Juvia's melancholy; heavy rains continued to pour down in Magnolia's vicinity (given the recent dry spell, the plants were happy – though not many other people were).

Juvia had no intention of going to the guild that day. She was going to continue to wallow in her misery, thank you very much. Surrounded by her mountains of handmade Gray dolls, with Gray's posters staring down at her from all directions, and clutching her Gray body-pillow and sobbing into her bed covers imprinted with Gray's face.

So she was quite surprised, upon awakening, to discover that her rooms were full of steam.

Technically, this event in and of itself wasn't entirely foreign to the water mage. Sometimes she steamed a little in her sleep, depending on the contents of her dreams or if the temperature had skyrocketed unexpectedly. Also, the vent pipe to Fairy Hills' communal bath ran through one of her walls, along with several other pipes that ran to her small restroom and kitchenette. This wouldn't be the first time the old plumbing had decided that it had had quite enough.

Yet, none of those things had occurred. She couldn't feel any of her body mass dissipating, so she wasn't steaming herself. Besides which, her dreams hadn't been the right type and the temperature – though she did gauge it to be slightly above its usual average for a summer morning at seven o'clock – wasn't high to the point where it would have an effect upon her. Nor had a pipe obviously burst.

Baffled, Juvia sat straight up. Peering through the dense steam, she attempted to locate the source.

"OH NO STOP NO STOP IT!" someone shouted from her kitchenette, hidden by the billowing steam. "OH SHIT SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

Throwing off her covers, Juvia vacated her bed and dashed to her kitchenette with enough speed to give Jet cause for alarm. Entering the area, she spotted a familiar head of salmon-pink hair, its owner standing by her stove. Desperately, he pulled at the handle to her kettle, which wasn't budging. Steam poured from the spout, and an acrid burning scent reaching Juvia's nose.

"Natsu-san!" Juvia barked at the dragon slayer.

He yelped and dropped the kettle's handle. "I'm sorry, Juvia!"

"Later!" Already understanding the situation, she ordered, "Turn off the burner and open the top of the kettle! Quickly!"

Complying without question, Natsu took the lid off the kettle and twisted the dial to cut off energy to the burner. Juvia used her own water to fill the kettle, bursts of steam erupting from the open top. After a moment, the deluge of scalding mist tapered off.

Weary, Juvia sat down at her small dining table.

Sheepish, Natsu shuffled over to sit in the chair beside her. "I'm so sorry, Juvia," he apologized, his sincerity clear.

"What was Natsu-san even trying to do?" the water mage wondered. "Now Juvia's kettle has melted to the filament…" It was going to take some serious effort to remove it. Once she did… well, her stove was still temporarily ruined. Or at least that particular burner was.

Natsu clapped his hands in front of him in a pleading motion. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I did not mean for that to happen! I was just… you know… trying to boil water and…"

Juvia peered at the fire mage, perplexed. "Natsu-san could have just used his magic…?"

"Nah, didn't want to run the risk of accidentally breaking your things…" he trailed off, shooting a pained glance at the stove. "Although this is way worse…"

"It's… it's not that difficult for Juvia to replace, Natsu-san." Juvia suddenly found herself in the odd position of comforting the distraught man. There was just something so unsettling about Natsu not being cheerful; it set her nerves on edge to see him so contrite and subdued when he was normally full of life. "Juvia will just ask Gajeel-kun to make Juvia a new filament and kettle. Now… _why_ was Natsu-san in Juvia's kitchen?" she inquired.

"I told you! Trying to boil water!"

"Yes, Juvia heard that part. Why was Natsu-san trying to boil water in Juvia's kitchen at…" She tried to discern what the clock (stylized with Gray's face) on the wall said through the lingering water vapor. Giving up, she turned back to Natsu. "Why this early, Natsu-san? And Juvia knows for a fact that the kettle could not have made this much steam on its own." All things related to water were her specialty, after all.

A weak chuckle emanated from her guild mate. "Uh… yeah. Um… I'm sorry…"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Juvia observed, "That does not answer Juvia's questions!"

"Okay, okay!" Natsu threw up his own arms in a defensive gesture. "I was going to make you some tea! And I wanted to do it before you woke up! Lucy says that's the best time! For tea!"

The water mage stared at him, dumbstruck.

"Oh and uh… there's so much steam because when I came back from the toilet, the kettle was already kinda sorta melting and when I panic, I give off a lot of heat," Natsu finished. "Since there's so much moisture in the air because of the rain… the whole place started to steam up which only made me panic more and then _more_ steam appeared and…" He shrugged helplessly. "It was a vicious cycle. So that's what happened."

Juvia was finding it surprisingly difficult to stay mad at her friend – not when he was so genuinely sorry, rambling and tripping over himself in his efforts to explain. "And why was Natsu-san making Juvia tea?" she asked.

Natsu's discomfort, if anything, increased. "I noticed that you were down in the dumps lately because the Frozen Turd went on that super long job – that should have been mine," he muttered under his breath, and then continued more audibly, "I just wanted to do something to cheer you up. Lucy said you like tea."

Annoyance flashed through Juvia. "To make the rain stop, then." Of course. That was all anyone ever wanted of her.

The dragon slayer furiously shook his head. "No! It's not that!" he protested, waving his arms and trying to communicate his point. "You just seemed so miserable, and I can't stand seeing nakama hurt. Even though my efforts royally backfired on me." Then Natsu shrugged. "I don't have anything against rain by itself, anyway."

Unconvinced, Juvia shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Sensing her unease, Natsu scrambled for something to cheer her up. "Ooh! Yesterday, I saw Jet trying to race Droy to the guild hall, and then he slipped on the pavement and flew into the canal and was nearly swept out to sea!" Natsu laughed, remembering the incident. "It was hilarious!"

Juvia did not find it nearly so funny that she had caused one of her friends distress, however.

Judging based on the stormy expression Juvia was wearing, Natsu then realized that he'd messed up again. "The… the plants really like all the water!" he pointed out. "Droy said something about that, I think… So do… um… the ducks! Yeah! The ducks really like the rain!" Natsu nodded vigorously. "And a lot of people were complaining about all the heat, so it's nice that things are cooler for a bit, right?!"

The water mage couldn't help but snort at his enthusiasm. A reluctant smile tugged at her lips. Natsu really did have an infectious personality.

Outside, the omnipresent rain began to taper off a bit.

"Juvia would like to thank Natsu-san for his kindness," Juvia told the fire mage. "However… Juvia also wishes that next time Natsu-san wants to cheer Juvia up, he stick to a… card." That seemed the safest option right now.

"Got it!" Natsu agreed. "I'll get you the best card in the world!" he promised, and then paused for a moment. "Although I'd prefer it if you weren't sad."

A light dusting of red settled on Juvia's cheeks. "Thank you, Natsu-san."

"You're welcome!" He grinned at her, glad that she seemed to be feeling better even without the tea.

"Juvia does… have one more question for Natsu-san, though."

"Sure, what is it?"

"How did Natsu-san get past Erza-san? Boys aren't allowed in the Fairy Hill dorms."

He stiffened in acute alarm. "Oh shit," he muttered, his face gone pale and filled with terror. "I totally forgot about Erza!"

Erza, however, had most definitely heard him screaming earlier. Because she chose that moment to burst through Juvia's door. "NATSU!" the redhead yelled, clad only in a bathrobe and holding an unsheathed katana in one hand. "PREPARE TO FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATING THE SANCTITY OF THIS PLACE!"

Natsu booked it for the window. "Cover my retreat, Juvia!"

Juvia didn't budge from her spot as Erza hurtled past her. She knew better.

"EEEEYAAAAHH! I SAID TO COVER ME, JUVIAAAAAA!"

"NOW REPENT!"


	2. Sundrops

Natsu was having a frankly terrifying dream. One where Erza had taken her giant hammer and was using him for batting practice with it.

"Natsu!" the ogre-woman screamed, horns sprouting from her head. She swung her weapon, catching him solidly in the chest and sending him flying with a screech of terror. "Wake up already! You and I are going fishing with Lucy today!"

That part gave Natsu pause, as he soared straight into a fluorescent pink log. He _never_ went fishing with Erza. That would be weird!

It was just strange enough a detail to stir the fire dragon slayer to a state of semi-consciousness. Where he became aware of something hitting his chest repeatedly, though he was beginning to suspect that it wasn't Erza's hammer. Every impact sent him swaying, and illness at the jostling motion crept through his body.

"Natsu!" he heard a familiar voice yell – but it certainly wasn't Erza this time. Not unless she'd switched bodies with Happy... again. "Get up or we'll be late!" Each word was punctuated by a smack to his chest. "Natsu!" the voice shouted, landing not on his torso this time, but his neck.

Choking, Natsu thrashed as he tried to breathe through what he was certain was a crushed windpipe. His frantic movements overturned his hammock and promptly dumped him on the floor. Hard. Knocking what little air that remained his lungs clear out of them.

"You don't have to be _that_ eager," a blue cat said, floating to the ground beside Natsu. The dragon slayer's mouth was opening and closing like a fish as he fought for his breath, and he was therefore unable to retort back. "I think you should save the fish impressions for when we're actually there, Natsu," Happy sniggered.

Natsu made a vaguely rude gesture at the cat.

* * *

The sweet, bright smile upon his partner's face was almost enough to send chills down Natsu's spine.

The steely eyed glare from Minerva, standing behind Lucy, _most definitely_ was.

"Come again?" Lucy asked the fire dragon slayer. "What was it you wanted, Natsu?"

Honestly, he was about to call the whole thing off after seeing her reaction. But he was Natsu Dragneel! This was... just another challenge to overcome! ...Yup. That's what it was. The sudden sense of impending danger was all in his mind. "You promised to go fishing with Happy and me!"

"Happy and _I_ ," Lucy automatically corrected, unable to help herself.

"Right, and with _me_!" Natsu replied, missing Lucy's point entirely.

Lucy's smile, if anything, became even more effervescent. "Natsu."

"Yeah? What is it, Lucy?" he asked, eager to be on their way though that expression was still giving him the heebie-jeebies.

"I told you yesterday that I had to cancel. Remember? Minerva and I have plans to go shopping together today."

Taken aback, Natsu's mouth dropped. "What?! Why?! We made plans with you first! Like... a whole week ago!"

"Yes, you did," Lucy hissed at him, dropping her pleasant facade. "And the day before yesterday, do you happen to recall what we did?"

Sweat began to bead on Natsu's forehead, as it started to come back to him. "Team Natsu went on a job?"

"Right. And do you happen to remember what happened to my clothes? Specifically... _my underwear?_ "

All too well, unfortunately. "G-Gray and I... erm... destroyed them?"

"...And how, preciously, did that come to pass, again?" When he didn't answer quickly enough, she snapped, "Natsu!"

He squeaked in terror at the dark aura surrounding his best friend. "We used them as bait!" Erza hadn't even tried to stop them, either. She'd been all for this plan.

"Correct. So. I am going with Minerva to replace the fifteen pairs of panties and matching bras that you. Used. As. Bait. For. Sea monsters!"

"But it worked though?" Natsu attempted to defend himself.

"Irrelevant!" she yelled, drawing a great deal of the guild's attention to her.

Natsu paused for a moment, something else occurring to him. "Wait... I don't think we used _that_ many..."

"You vomited on quite a few of them, too, if you recall. They're completely ruined now."

"Oh, yeah... well we were on a boat, what did you expect?"

"For you to stay the hell away from my underwear!" Lucy screeched. "This is not exactly an unreasonable request!"

Happy began to wail discordantly from his perch on Natsu's head. "Why are you punishing _me_ , too?"

"Because _you_ were the one who stole them in the first place!"

She had a valid point. That _had_ been him. The Exceed had been hoping that she would forget that part. Happy then switched tactics. "Then... then why isn't _Gray_ being punished?" He didn't bother asking about Erza. There would be no point.

A cruel, smug smile better suited to a dark mage (or the former one standing next to her) spread across Lucy's face. "Oh, he is. He'll be holding our bags today. Plus, we could use his advice. He may not be able to keep his clothes on, but he does have excellent fashion sense."

"...I thought you were going underwear shopping, though?" Natsu inquired. "Somehow, I don't think Juvia will be on board with that."

Lucy shrugged. "We're going dress shopping, too; Minerva mentioned that she needed a nice one. Also... I promised Juvia that I would pick something out for her that Gray likes." It had taken a great deal of effort to convince Juvia to go along with it - well... that and one of Minerva's most terrifying glares. Those worked wonders.

"How do you even know Juvia's measurements?" Natsu questioned innocently.

"I don't. Virgo does."

"Oh, right! She makes us all wear those themed clothes sometimes! ...Come to think of it, how does Virgo know what our measurements are?"

All colour drained briefly from Lucy's face. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing the answer to that one."

He would take her word on that. Tilting his head to the side, Natsu continued to think about it. "I still don't see how this is a punishment, to be honest..."

"We're going to the ultra-perfumed stores," Minerva input, her smile identical to Lucy's (but with perhaps a touch more cruelty - she had more practice with that, after all). "The kind that men and dragon slayers abhor. Ones where there are millions of things to buy... and plenty of bags to hold. We won't be done until well past dusk, wouldn't you say, Lucy?"

The Celestial mage shook her head. "I think you're being generous with the time frame there, Minerva."

Natsu did not envy his rival. Not in the slightest.

Upstairs, he heard the faint crackle of electricity, and at one of the tables he heard the melodious tinkling sound that accompanied grains of sand as they slid over each other. Laxus and Max were not taking the idea of Gray seeing Lucy and Minerva in new, probably revealing outfits (and panties) well. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Though he didn't see why Laxus cared - Max was least _dating_ Minerva. ...He thought they were dating, anyway. No one had actually announced anything about it, yet, although they were spending a great deal of time together lately. Laxus, as far as he could recall, had shown zero interest in Lucy since the Battle of Fairy Tail. Maybe Laxus was sparking for another reason, and this was coincidental? Natsu would file this information away for now, no matter what the truth was. Maybe he could use it to weasel a fight out of the lightning mage.

So... yeah. No envy from Natsu for Gray's current predicament. The fire dragon slayer was getting off really, really easy in comparison. (Gray was sure to complain about Lucy playing favorites later, no doubt. Then Natsu could rub his best friend status in the ice mage's face. That would be awesome.)

"Um... have fun, I guess," he finally said, rather awkwardly. Disappointment visibly showed on his face.

Lucy capitulated at Natsu and Happy's downtrodden body language. "Maybe another time, Natsu. But just not today." She could always find another punishment for them, and she _had_ promised to go fishing with them. Celestial mages didn't break promises, after all.

That cheered them up a little. "Okay, Lushy!" Happy agreed. "Next week?"

Nodding, Lucy agreed. "Next week."

Natsu let out a cheer, and gave his best friend a quick hug in celebration. Lucy giggled and gently pushed him away. "Why don't you two go see if Lisanna wants to join you, or something? I'm sure she'd love to."

Happy's tail swished at the suggestion. "Aye! It'll be just like old times, Natsu!"

"Let's go find her!"

"Aye, sir!"

* * *

"Sorry, Natsu," Lisanna apologized when the duo found her a short time later sweeping out one of the back rooms. "I promised Mira I'd help out around here today. I really wish I could go, though..."

Happy slumped at the rejection; even his ears drooped.

"It's alright," Natsu told her. "Another time?"

She smiled brightly at her childhood friend and patted her dejected foster son on his fuzzy blue head. "I would love to, Natsu, Happy."

"Aye, sir..." Happy mumbled.

"Aw, cheer up, little buddy!" Natsu told the feline. "We can find someone else to go with us, or we can just go by ourselves! We've done that plenty of times before."

He nodded, still gloomy. "Aye."

"Oh, dear," Lisanna said, gripping her elbow with one hand, and propping her head up with the other. She hummed, thinking for a moment. "I know!" she stated brightly after a few moments of contemplation. "Why don't you ask Erza to go with you? I don't think she has any plans for today."

Natsu shook his head violently, images from his dream that morning conjuring before his mind's eye. "No! No, I don't think we should bother her. Let's leave Erza out of this!"

"Aye. That would be weird," Happy agreed.

Lisanna gave them a funny look, but let it drop. "Hmm... let me see..." She glanced off to the side, trying to come up with other guild members that were milling about that might like to go fishing. "Oh, it's started to rain," the white haired woman observed, looking out the window.

That simple phrase caused brilliant explosions to cascade within Natsu's mind. "That's it!" he declared, picking a squeaking Lisanna up off the ground and swinging her around. "You're a genius Lis!"

"I-I am?" she asked, once she was placed back upon her feet. She wobbled for a moment, and then regained her balance.

"Yeah! We owe you one! Come on, Happy!" Natsu promptly dashed off without any further explanation.

Happy winged after his partner. "Wait for me, Natsu!"

Lisanna stared at the doorway where the two had disappeared, the only sound in the room the faint pitter patter of raindrops on the window. Shaking her head in bewilderment, she returned to her chores.

* * *

Juvia sighed, and stared out at the water seeping from the sky. She was a bit upset with Love Rival for monopolizing Gray, but at the same time she was grateful for the blonde taking her feelings into consideration about Gray going shopping with her. And now she was making it rain again. Wonderful. Although...

A smile touched her lips. This reminded her a bit of the day Natsu broke into her dorm at Fairy Hills a few weeks earlier in his attempt to cheer her up. She had since gotten Gajeel to fix the stove for her, with Erza watching over his work like a hawk. Once it was repaired, and she insisted on repaying him, the dragon slayer had told her, "Nah, you don't owe me a thing. So long as I get to hold this over Salamander's head, I'm good." And thus began a relentless taunt session from Gajeel to Natsu the next day, culminating in a fist fight between the two.

Shaking her head, Juvia dispelled the memory. Nice though it had been, right now she had other issues. The water mage desperately wanted to follow Love Rival to be certain that she didn't take advantage of Gray's kind disposition and generosity. However... Juvia was already making it rain. And besides... Gray thought the rain was gloomy. It was best to stay away from him when she was like this. She didn't want to inflict her gloominess on her most favorite person in the world.

"Yo, Juvia!" a voice shouted from across the guild hall.

The water woman immediately straightened, casting her gaze about for the person calling her name. "Could it possibly be... Gray-sama?!" she wondered aloud, excited. "Did he decide that he needed Juvia after all?!" A blush spread across her cheeks, daydreams of the ice mage swirling around inside of her head.

_"Oh, Juvia," Gray said, sparkles floating around him and adoration shining within his cobalt eyes. He held his beautifully sculpted hand out in treaty to her. "You just know that I could never go anywhere without you. So please... stay by my side. Forever."_

_"Oh, Gray-sama!" Juvia cooed, leaping into his arms, and holding her beloved tight. "Juvia will never leave Gray-sama's side!"_

A hand waved in front of her face vigorously, snapping her out of her pleasant daydream. "Juuuuuviaaaaaa," Natsu drawled, frantically trying to get her attention. "Earthland to Juvia! Are you in there?!"

"I think she's gone, Natsu," Happy gravely intoned. He sniffled, holding a paw over his eyes. "She was such a brave soul, but she's been lost to us."

Natsu gasped in horror. "No! I refuse to believe that! We can bring her back to us!" Gripping the water mage's shoulders, Natsu started to shake her lightly. "Juvia! Come back to us! You can fight your way out of the madness! Don't let the stripper drag you to hell with him!"

Juvia swatted the fire dragon slayer's hands away from her. "Juvia would go willingly," she muttered.

Beaming, Natsu laughed. "I guess you would!"

Flushing, Juvia smiled lightly in return. Then she glanced around the guild, trying to locate the object of her affections.

"Ice-Schtick already left, if you're looking for him," Natsu informed her. "Like half an hour ago."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the light rain became a horrific downpour in a split second. "Oh," Juvia said, embarrassed. "Juvia... Juvia did not notice Gray-sama leave..."

"Way to go, Natsu," Happy told his partner. "Way to be insensitive."

"Ah, shit! That was, wasn't it!" Natsu ran his hands through his brilliant, pink hair. "Sorry, Juvia," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you upset..."

Juvia shook her head. "No, it's fine... Juvia knows that Natsu-san didn't mean it like that." She shifted in place awkwardly. "So... did Natsu-san need something from Juvia?"

"Oh, that's right!" He grinned again at her. "Happy and I wanted to know if you wanted to go fishing with us! We have the spare gear all ready, so you wouldn't have to grab yours or anything. We could go right now! What do you say?!"

Taken aback by the offer, Juvia hesitated. "Why... Why would Natsu-san and Happy want Juvia to go fishing with them?"

His infectious grin widened. "Well... because you'd be the best person to go fishing!"

The water mage was skeptical of this. "Right. Is Natsu-san just saying that because Love Rival turned him down?"

Natsu shook his head violently in denial. "No way, you're seriously the best person for the job! Really!"

Though unconvinced, Juvia could not help but internally preen a little at the compliment. She peered at him. "Why would Juvia be the best for fishing?"

"Because you're a Fairy Tail mage."

Juvia outright gaped at him. "Juvia... Juvia does not understand."

"Well... you're a water mage, right?"

"That's our Natsu. Always stating the obvious," Happy trilled.

"Watch it, fuzzball," Natsu warned. Returning his attention to Juvia, he continued, "You're a water mage and in Fairy Tail?"

Juvia did not quite understand what he was getting at. "Just spit it out, Natsu-san."

"Okay, okay!" He cleared his throat. "You're a water mage. And a Fairy Tail mage. Fairy Tail mages are destructive."

"Good that you're self-aware," Happy interjected with a snigger.

Natsu ignored him. "Fish live in water. You're a water mage. And in Fairy Tail. You are a water mage in Fairy Tail."

"Juvia thinks that's been established...?"

"Here's my reasoning... Fairy Tail is destructive, therefore Juvia is destructive. Juvia is a water mage. Fish live in water. In conclusion..." Natsu began to gesture widely in his enthusiasm. "Juvia plus Fairy Tail plus destruction plus water EQUALS BIG EXPLOSION AND FISH RAINING FROM THE SKY!"

Utter silence met Natsu's declaration, as Juvia stared at him in complete dumbfoundment. She honestly had no idea how to respond. Mostly because what he'd said hadn't quite registered just yet.

"Do you need me to diagram it out for you?" Natsu asked. "I could diagram it out for you."

"Th-that won't be necessary," Juvia replied faintly.

"Are you sure? I would be happy to," Natsu offered.

"Very kind, Natsu-san. But Juvia thinks she understands. ...More or less." Mostly less, actually. Swallowing thickly, Juvia shook her head. "Juvia is fine."

Natsu nodded at the water mage. "Okay! So... do you wanna go fishing with us?"

"Juvia... has never been fishing before," she admitted. Juvia wasn't entirely certain what fishing normally entailed, but she was fairly certain it wasn't what Natsu had just described.

"We'll teach you!" Natsu suggested. "It'll be fun! What do you say?"

Nervous, Juvia contemplated the offer. Did she really want to go? She didn't have anything better to do, it was true. But... "Juvia will have to pass."

Deflating, Natsu gazed at her with forlornment in his eyes. "Can I ask why?"

"Natsu-san and Happy won't be able to fish in all this rain of Juvia's..." she admitted, more than a little dejected herself. Although highly improbable, Natsu's version of fishing _did_ kind of sound fun. But she didn't want to ruin it for him. What kind of friend would she be if she did that to something that they loved?

Frowning, the fire mage looked at her as if she were crazy. "Why would the rain stop us?" he asked, perplexed by her reasoning.

Juvia blinked in surprise. "Well... won't it be hard to catch fish in the rain?"

He shook his head. "Fish bite more after a light shower. The fish go to the surface to feed. Rain is great for fishing!"

"B-but," Juvia stuttered, "the rain has been falling really hard..."

Natsu tilted his head at her in confusion. "What are you talking about? The rain mostly stopped a while ago!" he pointed out.

The water mage whirled to face the window. In amazement, she watched the clouds begin to part, and warm golden light begin to filter through. Except... the glow caught on the raindrops still falling, and turned the ones clinging to the windowpane to liquid gold. The sight took her breath away. It was as if the sun itself was shedding droplets of light.

Not raindrops. _Sundrops._

For this moment in time at least, the sun and the rain existed together in harmony. One did not need the other to be erased to be known.

A smile touched her lips.

"So... fishing?" Natsu asked, holding out his hand.

Juvia grasped it without a second thought. "Juvia would love to!"

"Hooray!" Happy cheered. "Fish!"

And that was how Natsu Dragneel invaded Juvia Lockser's life for the second time, and how he dragged her off - giggling and lighthearted - for her very first impromptu fishing lesson.


	3. Jealous

Juvia hummed to herself as she placed the lid on the final box of lunches she had made, and then she stacked it on top of the others, for a total of ten. She wiped her forehead with her arm, and smiled down at her work. All that was left to do was tie them! Glancing around her kitchen, she felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of her neck. Okay… maybe she still needed to clean up, too. She'd gotten a little carried away with her cooking! But she couldn't help it – she was just too excited!

Her clock chimed the hour softly, and Juvia's eyes drifted towards it. It was a plain clock - a far different one that had hung there when Natsu had shown up unexpectedly that one day and tried to make her tea. In fact, it was because of him that Juvia had needed to go out and purchase this one. When Gajeel had come to fix her stove and kettle (under Erza's ever vigilant watch), he'd suddenly clubbed it, stating that he couldn't work in peace with Gray's creepy face staring at him the whole time. So Juvia had wailed but had ultimately been forced to buy another one. She simply hadn't the time as of late to paint her beloved Gray-sama's face on it yet, or so she kept telling herself. It had been nonstop jobs and fishing trips ever since she'd purchased it.

In fact, her production rate of Gray-sama paraphernalia had fallen drastically as of late due to that very same reason. Her room was still cluttered with all of the dolls, and she still occasionally made food with Gray's face on them - but she hadn't made a new doll in some time. Nor did she always have the energy to do more than prepare her food in an unadorned/unarranged manner. She'd even been contemplating taking down a poster or two to make more room for photographs of the fish she'd caught so far.

To her great surprise, she'd come to love fishing, especially with Natsu. The activity was calming; sitting beside a pool of water in the forest, or beside the ocean. With no sounds around them except for the water, and the birds. Happy and Natsu barely said a word after they showed her how to cast her pole and bait a hook. It was a bit odd for Juvia at first. Silence wasn't something she usually associated with the pair. But their quiet companionship was something she'd come to treasure after the few trips she'd taken with them. Seeing their happy faces whenever she said yes to their invitations made something warm blossom inside her chest.

She did cause an explosion of water that first day, though. Upon request. Happy had been super excited as one of his fondest dreams literally came true as fish fell from the air all around him. It had taken coordination between her and Natsu to pry the Exceed away from the pile of fish long enough to pack everything up for their return to the guild. Mirajane had then fried the fish for them, and Juvia was certain that it was the best thing she'd ever tasted.

Suddenly, Juvia paled when she realized the time. She only had an hour before she was supposed to meet Natsu and Happy at the guild! Juvia hurriedly tied up the lunch boxes she made, and then rushed to her dresser to pick out her outfit for the day. There was no time to worry about cleaning up the kitchen! She still needed to shower, brush her teeth, get dressed...

The dishes could wait until she got home.

* * *

As Juvia made her way down from Fairy Hills to the guild, the first morning rays of sunlight touched the world around her, illuminating it in soft pinks and golds. A smile worked it's way onto Juvia's face - she couldn't help but be reminded of Natsu.

The guild was already open for business, though it was quite empty save for the sole exception of Mirajane who was sitting behind the bar reading a book. She glanced up as Juvia entered, and then smiled brightly. "Good morning, Juvia!" she called out. "Are you heading out on an early job? And oh, my... that's quite a large package you've got there!"

"Good morning, Mirajane." Juvia returned the barmaid's smile, making her way to the bar. She pulled up a stool and set her wrapped boxes on the floor next to her. "Natsu-san, Happy, and Juvia have plans to go fishing today, and Juvia thought it would be nice if we had a picnic, too!"

Mirajane's smile widened. Carefully setting the book down, she propped her elbows on the countertop and place her head in her hands. Leaning forward, Mirajane commented, "It seems like you're going on a lot of fishing trips with Natsu, lately, doesn't it?"

Something in the back of Juvia's mind (instincts perhaps, left over from her time in Phantom Lord) started ringing alarm bells. Very loud ones. "Juvia _likes_ fishing," she defended herself, not sure why her old internal danger warning system was going haywire.

"Oh?" Mirajane tilted her head to the side a little. "Isn't it because of a certain dragon slayer...?"

Staring at her, Juvia mimicked the other woman's head tilt. "Juvia isn't sure what Mirajane is trying to say? If it's about Natsu-san, yes, Juvia likes fishing with him?"

"But do you like Natsu?"

Bewildered by the line of questioning, Juvia huffed out, "Of course Juvia likes Natsu-san! Juvia likes all of her nakama! "How absurd; does Mirajane think Juvia is using Natsu-san only for his fishing pole?" Juvia paused as Mirajane's eyes began to twinkle in mischief. ...Wait. Had Mirajane... had she meant like in a different sense? Her face burned as she realized just how what she had said had been misconstrued by Mirajane, and she could feel the heat of her own rising blush as it swept through her entire body.

"There's smoke coming out of your ears, dear," Mirajane helpfully pointed out.

"Juvia...! Juvia...!" The water mage attempted to articulate her thoughts, to no avail, flailing her arms madly in protest. "It's not... like that! Juvia has her beloved Gray-sama!" With a sniff, she drew her arms in and crossed them over her chest. "Juvia and Natsu-san are friends, that is all. And Juvia spends time with Happy on these fishing trips, too. They aren't romantic in the slightest!"

"Okay, okay!" Mirajane conceded. She stood up. "Is there anything I can get you while you wait for Natsu?"

Juvia nodded weakly. "Just some water will be great. Thank you."

Mirajane hummed. Conspiratorially, she leaned close to Juvia's face, her hand up to block their conversation. "You might want to take care of that crimson face of yours before your dragon slayer and Happy see it!"

"He's not Juvia's dragon slayer!"

"Who's not?"

The water mage let out a shriek of surprise at the voice behind her. Slowly, she turned her head, only to see her cheerful, pink haired friend. He was carrying a large box stamped with the logo of a popular brewery. "Yo, Juvia!" he greeted. "Sorry I didn't say hello right away - I was in the back room getting something for Mira!"

"Hello, Natsu-san," Juvia managed, somehow.

Natsu grinned at her, all fangs and warmth. "Hold on a couple of minutes, and then we can get going! Hey, Mira!" His attention moved to the barmaid. "Where do you want this thing?"

"In the kitchen, please. If you don't mind."

"Got it!" Whistling, Natsu strode into the guild's kitchen. "Is on the counter fine?"

"Yes!"

Juvia whipped towards Mirajane, her expression as dark and fierce as a storm on the high seas. "Mirajane," she gritted out.

"Oh... did I forget to mention that he arrived a little earlier?" The demon mage tapped her finger against her upper lip, for all appearances deep in thought. "Whoopsie! I guess I did!"

Before Juvia could say anything in response, Natsu reemerged from the kitchen. "Alright, now are you ready to go, Juvia?!" Suddenly, he froze and sniffed the air. "Wait... what's that? It smells delicious!"

Flushing at the compliment, Juvia wrung her hands a little. "Um... Juvia thought it would be good if she brought a picnic lunch, so Natsu-san and Happy and Juvia could fish for longer..."

Natsu's face went slack, as he stared at her in utter dumbfoundment. At that moment, Juvia looked like a literal angel to him, with a halo of light and sheer _goodness_ pouring off of her - the kind of being that Zentopia often preached about and he had never quite bought into before now. "You... you seriously did that? For me? And Happy?" The idea boggled his mind. Lisanna had used to cook for him on occasion before her 'death', though she hadn't had the opportunity to since her return. Mirajane and Elfman had sent off Lisanna and Natsu with lunches before, and he'd been subjected to Erza's cooking experiments on more than one notable occasion, but this was the first time someone had _really_ cooked for him these past couple of years. Lucy didn't really count because he _stole_ her food; she had never cooked for him specifically. But here sat Juvia - with a huge package of food. That she'd made. For him. And for Happy.

It boggled his mind, and scrambled all his cognitive functions relegated to speech. So he just stared at her in silence, hoping to communicate his gratitude through sheer force of will if his vocal cords weren't going to cooperate with him.

If anything, Juvia's blush deepened. "Should Juvia... not have done that?" She hung her head. "Juvia is sorry if she is being a bother..." There was nothing the rain woman hated more than being an annoyance. It had haunted her throughout her childhood, and into her adult life. Dread swept through her. She didn't know what she would do if Natsu found her annoying, or a bother. In the back of her mind, however, a little voice whispered that she'd never felt this way in regards to her Gray-sama.

The dragon slayer was quick to protest the notion, his hands held up to chest level and waving frantically. "No, you're not a bother at all, Juvia! I'm just... I'm really happy you cooked for us! Thank you!" He glanced at the large pile of boxed lunches, his eyes bulging in their sockets. "And there's a lot of it, holy crap!"

"Juvia remembered that Natsu-san eats a lot so... Juvia took the precaution of making extras..." she sheepishly confessed, pleased and embarrassed and relieved all at once by Natsu's enthusiastic and positive response.

"Thank you so much!" Natsu exclaimed. "I remember last time I tried your cooking it was delicious!"

Juvia's face went blank. "...The... last time...?"

"I think it was right around the time you joined the guild?" Natsu thought about it for a moment. "Yeah... it was before! When the ice idiot and I were rebuilding the guild hall, a lunchbox appeared out of nowhere right after we said we were hungry! It was really tasty, even if Erza is the one who ate most of it. You made it, though, right?"

Gaping, Juvia nodded. "Yes, Juvia did. But... how did Natsu-san know it was Juvia?"

"Well... at the time I didn't know," he admitted. "But when I thought back on it later, it seemed fairly obvious. I mean... it was Gray's face. And it smelled like you. Also, it was delivered in a jet of water. Bit of dead giveaway right there. Also, I think I tried your Gray-buns a while back. Those were fantastic!" Not only had they tasted good, getting a chance to wreck Gray's face was always a treat in and of itself.

The water mage blinked back tears of happiness that were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't believe that Natsu remembered back that far! And moreover, that he really liked her cooking that much, even though it was so long ago! To her embarrassment, her skills at the time hadn't been all that great. Juvia had spent a lot of time and effort since then polishing and expanding her cooking abilities. "Juvia has been practicing a lot!" she suddenly blurted out. "So these... these are probably a lot better!"

Natsu let out an inarticulate screech of pure joy.

Watching the proceedings, Mirajane had to restrain a giggle. It seemed as if the pair had entirely forgotten her presence, and she was in no hurry to remind them. They probably didn't realize it, but they were being positively adorable!

Juvia glanced around the mostly empty guild hall. "So, Natsu-san? Where's Happy?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. I'm sorry, Juvia," Natsu apologized, "but Happy canceled last second on the fishing trip. So he won't be coming along this time."

Her face fell, though she did her best to hold back her disappointment. "Oh."

"Yeah, he said he was really sorry, but a job just for him and Lisanna came up and he couldn't turn it down." Natsu shrugged. "I think he wanted to spend some time with Lis. Plus, he was muttering something about how if he played his cards right, he'd get double or even triple the amount of fish it paid. I don't think we wanna get involved in whatever Ponzi scheme that blue fuzzball's got going on anyway."

Sweat rolled down Juvia's face. "So Natsu-san is just going to abandon Happy to his fate?"

"Nah!" Natsu waved his hand in dismissal of the notion. "He and Lis can handle themselves. If he needs me, I'll step in. ...Unless he pisses off Erza. Then he's on his own. No, wait! If he does make her mad, that'll give her a legitimate reason to fight me! Change of plans... let's hope Happy pisses her off. And don't worry about the extra lunchboxes... I will be more than happy to take care of Happy's portion!"

A snort of laughter at Natsu came out of Juvia's mouth before she could stop it. But Natsu just grinned back at her. "Should we get going, then?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" Picking up their picnic supplies, with one arm, he grabbed Juvia's hand. "I already set up the fishing stuff! Let's go!"

"Sure!" she laughed. "Bye Mira!"

Mirajane did not appear to notice either of them as Natsu dragged a (completely willing) Juvia out the guild doors. "Double or even triple, is it?" she muttered under her breath. "You had better not be trying to con me you little..."

* * *

"Good morning!" Lucy called as she entered the guild hall. A chorus of replies met her ears, and she waved at everyone. Glancing around, she couldn't see her pink haired partner anywhere. But she did spot Gray at the bar, so the blonde made her way over there. "Hey, Gray!" she greeted, pulling up the stool beside him.

"Hey, Lucy!" The topless ice make mage grinned at her. "How goes it?"

"Fine. By the way, where are your clothes?"

Gray cursed and began looking for his missing articles of clothing, which now included his pants as well. Once they were back on his person, he sighed heavily. "One of these days, I've gotta ask Lyon how he managed to kick that habit. I'm tired of being arrested for public indecency..."

A droplet of sweat ran down the back of Lucy's head. "Did you spend the night in lockup again?"

"Thankfully no." He took a swig from his beer. "But it was a near thing. I'm lucky it was locals - at least _they_ understand that I can't help it. So what's up with you? Just hanging out at the guild today, or do you have something planned?"

"Well I was hoping to take a job with Natsu, but I didn't see him when I came in," Lucy confided in her friend. "Do you know if he's busy today or not?"

"Hmm... I don't know. I don't keep Flame Brain's schedule," Gray said. "Not that he hasn't tried to get me to do that before," he muttered into his mug.

Mirajane paused as she passed them, laden trays in both arms perfectly balanced. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing," she interrupted. "Natsu and Juvia went fishing together early this morning." An eerie smile passed over her face. "They were being so adorable, too!"

Lucy could only blink in surprise as Mirajane departed to deliver her load of drinks. "O-oh," Lucy stuttered. "I didn't... realize they were going today." Disappointment sank into her body, and it felt like all of her previous energy had been drained.

Tilting his head, Gray peered at the blonde. "Lucy, is everything alright?" he asked. "You don't look so good."

"No, I'm fine," she insisted.

Not convinced in the slightest, in order to defuse the tension Gray joked, "Don't tell me you're jealous of Juvia or something!"

Lucy's shoulders spasmed in what could only be a flinch. "Of course not!" the celestial mage protested, forcing a smile on her face. "That's ridiculous! Why would I be jealous of Juvia for spending time with Natsu?"

Gray nearly spat out his drink at her words and unnatural smile. "Wha...? Wait, are you? Really?" There was no possible way that could be it. Right? That was just... weird.

"I'm not jealous!" she shouted, gaining the nearby attention of several other guild members. Lucy shrank in her seat. "I'm not jealous," she insisted in a much quieter tone, her cheeks reddening.

"You are! You so are!"

Seeing that denial wouldn't get her anywhere with Gray, Lucy abruptly switched tactics to get him to drop the issue. "What about you, I _don't_ see _you_ getting jealous!"

Her friend gave her a funny look. "Why would I?" he asked. "Juvia's just a friend."

"Oh, really? Because you got super jealous when Lyon expressed an interest in Juvia," Lucy informed him smugly. "Every time he did, actually."

Gray spluttered incoherently. "Th-that's different, and you know it!"

"Is it really?"

"Yeah, and... and wait a second." Gray paused for a moment, . " _Is_ Natsu?" he asked. "Interested in Juvia, I mean?"

Lucy's face went slack. "Um... I don't actually know," she admitted. "They are going fishing together a lot lately. I see them together a lot outside of it, too. I mean... they've always been on friendly terms, but they never really hung out just the two of them until recently. Didn't they go to a lure store together, the other day?"

That sounded vaguely familiar to Gray as well. "That's true." Pensive, Gray thought over the issue. "I don't think we'll ever be able to decipher just what goes on in Charcoal Head's brain - assuming there's one in there." He grinned briefly as Lucy gave him a light punch to his arm. "But... it seems a fair guess." He fiddled with his beer mug, contemplating his past behavior. Was he giving this whole thing too much thought? Probably, but then Gray liked to think things through; his magic required it of him, after all. "I think I'd be fine if Natsu and Juvia were interested in each other, though," Gray finally said, shocking Lucy. Though he undersold it a bit - in reality, he was more than okay with it. He would be perfectly content to shove the two into a broom closet if it came down to that.

The celestial mage raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure about that? Again, I remember how you behaved with her and Lyon. Heck, you _literally_ snatched her out of _his arms_ during the GMG's."

A weak chuckle escaped Gray. "Yeah, that's true! I did do that, didn't I? I just... it's different with Natsu, compared to Lyon. I mean... Lyon is like a brother to me, but at the same time I was his rival for a long time, and there was so much bad blood between us for so long... It was also pretty clear that his attentions were unwanted, and made her uncomfortable. I didn't like seeing that." He sighed heavily. "I hate to admit it - I guess I just don't quite trust him with the happiness of one of my closest friends. Which Juvia is. Natsu..." Gray trailed off, his gaze distant. "Natsu and I have definitely have had our differences, and we butt heads all the time. But he's one of the best people I know. And if he were, hypothetically, interested in Juvia... and if she returned his affections... I would be happy for them."

His friend gave him a lopsided grin. "Geez, when did _you_ get so mature?" Lucy asked playfully. "Well... except for your stripping habit, anyway. While we're on that topic... where did your clothes go _this_ time?"

Gray glanced down at his once again bare chest. "Are you kidding me?" he muttered. "When did _that_ happen...?"

"Beats me. One second they were there, and then the next, they weren't." Lucy frowned slightly, contemplating her hands while Gray plucked his shirt up from under his bar stool. "You know... you were right."

The ice make mage abruptly turned and stared at Lucy. "I was?" he asked cautiously, not entirely positive that this _wasn't_ a trap of some sort. "About what?"

Lucy sighed. "I have to admit that I'm a little jealous of Juvia. Not much!" she was quick to add. "Just a little bit. And not because of romantic feelings towards Natsu or anything like that, before you get the wrong idea!"

Her teammate eyed her suspiciously. "...Then you have romantic feelings for _Juvia_...?" he offered, leaning away from her slightly.

A wise decision on his part, as Lucy attempted to smack him upside his head, succeeding only in swiping at thin air. "I don't have any romantic feelings for either of them!"

Gray returned to his previous position. "Alright... so what's up?"

"It's just... you know!" Gray stared at her blankly. "I... Look... Natsu was my first human friend. He brought me to Fairy Tail in the first place, and he's been my best friend ever since. I'm a little jealous of him spending more time with Juvia these days, is all."

"So you... want to go fishing with him?" her companion asked, a little confused. "You could just tell him that, you know."

Lucy waved her hand in an emphatic no. "No way - _Mavis, no_. Don't let Natsu know this, but I really, really hate fishing. Like... I can't stand it. Everything about it. I hate it. If Juvia wants to go fishing with him, power to her. But no. No more fishing for me. Juvia taking over that is like the _best_ thing that's happened to me all year." She paused, and glowered at Gray. "Stop laughing!" Lucy hissed at him, as he doubled over in mirth. "It's not funny!"

"It totally is!"

"It's not!"

Gray wiped away a tear from his eye while Lucy pouted. "I'm still not sure I understand what the problem is, then, if you're fine with Juvia going fishing with him."

Groaning, Lucy placed her head in her hands. "I don't know!" she whined. "That's the problem!" Lucy was silent for a moment. Then she sat up straight, pushing her hair back from her face. "I guess... maybe I just miss my best friend. I miss spending one-on-one time with him." Lucy paused, and then snorted. "And Happy, too, of course."

That elicited an identical snort from Gray as well. "Of course." Now that it occurred to him, he might have seen the ubiquitous blue cat around the guild earlier, getting a lecture from Mirajane. Had he not gone with Natsu and Juvia? ...Interesting. He would file that tidbit away for later analysis.

"So, what about you, Gray?" Lucy prodded. "Anything going on in your love life lately, or is it as dead as mine?"

Caught off guard, Gray practically jumped out of his seat at the question. "What? Me? Uh... no. I mean, yes. I - UGH."

"Oh ho?" A devious glimmer shone in Lucy's eyes, the exact same one that Mirajane and Erza got sometimes that never failed to scare the piss out of Gray (literally, when he was younger). "There _is_ someone then? Spill!"

"There's nothing to spill," Gray insisted, trying not to sweat.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Don't you give me that, Gray Fullbuster. I know you well enough by this point to tell when you're hiding something."

Gray sighed heavily. There was no way he was getting out of this, was there? Dammit - he should have been prepared for something like this. Normally, he was pretty good at hiding it when he was upset; no matter what Lucy believed. Still... she had trusted him just now with her own feelings, hadn't she? After some prodding on his part. He glanced around the guild for potential eavesdroppers. Talking to Lucy about personal topics was one thing - broadcasting them to the guild was another entirely. The greatest suspects would be Cana, Mirajane, the dragon slayers, and worst of all of them was Happy, he deduced. Cana was in the middle of a job with Wendy, so neither was present today. Natsu was out fishing, obviously. Happy was nowhere in evidence, strangely enough. Maybe he was with Lisanna, or maybe Mirajane had him on an errand or something? Speaking of - the white haired woman was off serving high tea upstairs to the Rajinshuu. Laxus looked like he would rather be anywhere other than where he currently was, but Freed and Evergreen seemed pleased with their current activity. Gray didn't see Bickslow at all. Odd. Could just be the angle, though.

And then there was Gajeel... sitting down the bar from them, but clearly not paying any attention to the pair whatsoever. In fact, he was glaring into his mug and growling under his breath. Gray thought he heard him say, "Did that witch really have to hit me in the head so fucking hard? All I wanted was her sword. Just a little taste, nothing major! Fucking stingy."

What in the world had Gajeel done? On second thought, it was probably best to just leave him alone.

Feeling it safe to discuss, Gray turned back to Lucy. "Okay, you've got me. Not a word of this to anyone, though." She nodded excitedly, motioning for him to continue. "So... you remember that job Gramps had for me a while back? I met her then - sort of. I mean... I already knew her but not that well. We got to talking, and we just... we really hit it off."

Lucy grinned at him. "That's awesome, Gray! Congratulations!"

He shook his head. "Thanks, but it's pretty hopeless. For starters... I have no idea what she thinks of me. And her family... good Mavis her family. She's got a ton of brothers and a sister and they are terrifying all on their own. But her dad... now, _he_ is a _monster_..."

* * *

Natsu watched as Juvia pulled out the lunches and began to lay them out on a large, checkered picnic cloth she'd brought with. "They smell great, Juvia!" he exclaimed. "I can't wait to taste them!" He was pretty sure he was drooling, but at this point he didn't really care.

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Just another minute, Natsu-san... oh."

"What is it?" Natsu asked, worried.

Juvia's face was downcast. "Juvia forgot drinks... oh, how could Juvia forget those!" she lamented. "Now we won't have anything to wash it all down with!"

Alarmed, Natsu waved to get her attention. "No big deal, we can always drink the pond water, right?" Juvia gaped at him in abject horror at the suggestion. "That was a joke," he said lightly. "I don't do that." Much.

A sigh of relief emanated from the water woman. "Oh thank goodness. Stagnant water has all sorts of bad bacteria in it - you should never drink it. Juvia would suggest not making this joke to Wendy-chan. She would... not take it well."

All color drained from Natsu's face at the prospect of a Wendy-lecture. "Got it." That still left the question of drinks, however. An idea suddenly popped into Natsu's head. "Hold on, I think I know what we can do!" He leapt to his feet. "Hold on a second right there, okay? I'll be right back!"

Curious, Juvia nodded. "Juvia will finish up here, then." Though she wasn't sure what else she could do - it was more or less ready to go.

As Natsu tromped through the forest, he peered around the foliage, looking for one species of tree in particular.

So far, he and Juvia had had a slow day at the pond. He'd managed to catch two little fish, but he had thrown them back. The only keeper was a spawning female that Juvia caught - which they also returned to the pond. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea, he wondered. Had it really been worth the trouble of bribing and sending Happy off with Lisanna? At this rate, he wouldn't even have fish to pay his buddy with!

His little deception about Happy's absence made Natsu feel pretty bad - though nothing he'd said had been false. When Juvia had looked so disappointed at hearing the Exceed wouldn't be joining them, it had been a stab to his gut. The dragon slayer supposed he could have just told Juvia that he'd just wanted to spend time together just the two of them... but he wasn't particularly comfortable saying that to himself, let alone _her_.

Natsu felt... weird around Juvia lately. Not weird bad. Weird good. He wasn't an idiot, regardless of the others' general opinion of him, so he had a basic idea about what was going on with him. Didn't mean he had to accept it. Or like it.

Except... he really did like it, if he was being honest with himself.

Fishing with Juvia was a joy. She seemed to get the activity in a way that Lisanna and Lucy never had - that it was less about catching dinner, and more about taking the time to quietly enjoy your surroundings; for silent contemplation and peaceful companionship. Natsu needed these things in his life, to muffle his more compulsive, loud side. He was able to get them through fishing - it was pretty much the only thing that calmed his usual restlessness. This time was for him cathartic, and healing.

With Juvia there, it added to the peacefullness, somehow. If he had to guess, Natsu would say that her magic probably had something to do with it. But he also believed that it was her personality. She could be as bubbly and talkative as the brook, or the endless calm of the deep. To Natsu, she was the drum of rain on the windowsill - a steady beat that could lull a person to sleep.

It was obvious too, to Natsu, that Juvia possessed a kindness unending for her friends and family. Juvia loved with an intensity he'd only seen in himself before now. She was talented at a great many things - her mastery over her magic, her delicious cooking, her handicrafts skills the likes of which rivaled a professional seamstress (or at least Natsu thought so). As far as Natsu could tell, Juvia didn't see herself in the same light that Natsu did. Her self-confidence wasn't the greatest, though she was improving.

More than anything, Natsu just wanted the opportunity to get to know her even better.

Soon, he found what he was looking for. After picking four large, weirdly shaped fruits from a small tree buckling under the weight of its own offspring, Natsu turned and dashed back towards where he'd left Juvia.

"Juvia!" he called out, when she came into sight. "Look what I found!"

Looking up from the food spread, Juvia smiled brightly. "Welcome back! What are those, Natsu-san?"

Natsu skidded to a stop next to the picnic, his heart suddenly hammering and his face flushed far more than either should be from such a short run. Was he coming down with something? "Waterfruit! I'm surprised you haven't seen them before. They're mostly liquid inside, and they taste pretty good." He set them down, before placing himself firmly in front of the food. "It looks tasty!" And pretty. It was very pretty too. Natsu had never really thought of food as pretty before, but there was just no other way to describe the lunchboxes he was looking at.

"Thank you!" Juvia beamed. "And thank you for bringing the fruit! Go ahead and dig in!"

Not needing to be told twice, Natsu did so.

Only to pause, a few bites in.

"Is... is something wrong, Natsu-san?" Juvia questioned, waving a hand in front of his face. "Your eyes are glazed over."

Tears suddenly began gushing out of Natsu's eyes, coursing in veritable rivers down his face. Juvia let out a squeak of alarm.

"It's delicious!" Natsu blubbered. "It's so good! You're really, really good at cooking! I could eat this forever!" He was already beginning to plot how he might be able to manage that. The only real concern was getting around Erza's watchdog abilities. How was Gray able to turn his nose up at what was clearly the food of the gods? Burning jealousy swept through Natsu at the thought of Gray getting this kind of food offered to him all the time, only for it to be rejected.

Juvia watched, incredulous, as Natsu began to shovel in his food at lightning speed. "Is it... is it really?" she faintly wondered. Delicately, she took a bite of her own. It didn't taste any different than usual to her. In fact, she might've overdone it on the salt. Was it the copious amount of peppers she used on Natsu's boxes that were causing this reaction in him?

Regardless... it made her very, very happy.

Juvia laughed, her merriment bubbling over inside of her. Like she almost always did around Natsu, she felt warm. "Hey, Natsu-san... do you remember that one time when Juvia accidentally hooked Happy when casting?"

He nodded. "Yeah!" he said around the food. "And then he went whoosh!" Natsu demonstrated the arc in which Happy had flown with his chopsticks. "Straight into the lake. And then that monster fish tried to eat him!"

"And then he cried when you roasted it..." Juvia recalled fondly.

Natsu grinned. "He complained all the way home. That fish was ugly, but it tasted really good. Nothing compared to this, though!"

"Now if only Gray-sama would react to Juvia's cooking like this..." Juvia mumbled wistfully. For once, though, she wasn't able to imagine the same expressions Natsu was displaying on Gray.

"Like I've said a million times before," Natsu stated, gesturing emphatically with his chopsticks. "Ice Princess is a fucking MORON."

* * *

Later that night, when they returned to the guild, Juvia discovered that Gray and Lucy had gone on a job together with the Raijinshuu and Laxus. They wouldn't be returning for a couple of days.

Strangely enough...

Juvia didn't feel the least bit jealous.


End file.
